habitat_narrative
Terrestrial
This species occurs mainly in moist grassland (montane, temperate and subtropical) but has a wide habitat tolerance and is found in fynbos, Afromontane and coastal forest, woodland and savannah, disturbed areas, gardens, and built-up areas (Meester 1963, Taylor 1998). It is commensal with humans and adapted to living in transformed habitats, such as gardens. At Dukuduku Forest, KwaZulu-Natal Province, they were found in grassland and shrubland but absent from woody areas (Perrin and Bodbijl 2001). In Swaziland, it predominantly inhabits moist, rank grasslands but may also occur in riverine thickets (Monadjem 1997). While they prefer moist habitats, they have also been collected from sparse, recently burnt grasslands (Taylor 1998). The major determinants of its habitat appear to be proximity to water and adequate ground cover.This is the largest shrew species in the assessment region, measuring 160 mm from tip to tail and weighing 30 g (Skinner and Chimimba 2005). It is solitary and tends to be aggressive (unlike Myosorex spp.) and has been observed to kill and eat a House Mouse Mus musculus (Goulden and Meester 1978, Baxter and Meester 1982). Thus, while mainly insectivorous, it sometimes predates on vertebrates. It is predominantly nocturnal and crepuscular (Baxter et al. 1979), and undergoes spontaneous torpor to avoid expending energy on maintaining a constant body temperature through the coldest period of the night (Baxter 1996).
Ecosystem and cultural services: An important prey species for owls (e.g., Avery et al. 2005).
